Can we find true happiness?
In today’s world, your happiness levels are often relative to success, wealth, and/or marriage. And if you’re not reaching those milestones, you may feel a sense of disappointment and inner emptiness. But the real question is, “can we find true happiness?”
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the author begins chapter one by talking about this sense of emptiness that I’m sure we’ve all felt at least once in our lives.
Confronted by Emptiness
The first thing the author says is “meaningless” which is again repeated again in the final chapter, and throughout at least 30 times. The Hebrew translation means “vapor” which is temporary and will vanish easily.
The author then uses two different analogies to describe the meaninglessness and monotony of life; nature nature (verses 5-7) and history (verses 9-10). The author uses these analogies to explain what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Same with the feeling of emptiness or meaninglessness. Those in the past have felt it, and we in the present come to know this empty feeling at various times in our lives.
This is what makes the book of Ecclesiastes so timeless and relevant. But the author provides a response to this feeling of emptiness.
Responding to emptiness
People respond to this feeling in different ways. We can choose to respond with bitterness or anger. Or we can choose to respond with strong sense of responsibility to continue existing and make something with what we’ve been given. Or we can respond with despair and depression, the darkest path to take. Or - and most commonly – we can respond by distracting ourselves. In other words, we try to find something else to do or to think about so we don’t have to face this feeling of emptiness head-on. But at the end of the day, distractions do not solve the problem. How are we supposed to fill the emptiness?
Filling the emptiness
There’s a little phrase that’s repeated twice in this passage, “under the sun”? (verse 3 and 9). This particular phrase shows up 29 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. It’s importance is obvious to the reader. But what does it mean? It means all of the author’s observations are limited to what we can see under the sun, and what he sees under the sun is meaningless. But what about beyond?
What if we could be convinced that there’s more than meets the eye? It would definitely broaden our perspective on life for instead of looking at the sunrise as this cyclical, predictable event, we’ll look at it like David did in Psalm 19:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of his hands… In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun, it is like a bridegroom coming out from his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
If our perspective is limited to what’s under the sun, there will always be a restlessness in our hearts. How do we break out of that limited perspective? Well, it’s not how we break out but rather how God breaks in and broadens our understanding.
God knows we can’t figure out the mystery of life on our own. We need his help. So, in the person of Jesus, God took on human flesh and he broke our closed perspective by entering our world. And in him, we can be convinced that knowing and following Jesus Christ is the key to filling that emptiness, and find meaning and happiness in a meaningless world.
Dear God,
Forgive us for the time we have tried to find happiness with our own might. Thank you that You have decided to break into our world by giving Your Son, Jesus Christ to help us to find a meaningful life. Help us to rely more on You each day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen